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Yavapai College

The Official Athletics Site of the Yavapai College Roughriders
Erika Bennett 2022

Erika Bennett

Erika Bennett enters her fifth season at YC in 2023. Bennett overlooks the pitching and catching staff and takes the role as recruiting coordinator. In three of her four years as assistant coach, Bennett has kept the pitching staff ERA under 3.40 and has assisted the team with a total of 161 wins and 33 losses. During her first year, she spent the summer traveling with the National Pro Fastpitch team, The Comets. As an assistant, she coaches first base as well as throwing live batting practice.

During the incredible 2022 season, Bennett’s pitching staff held a 2.03 ERA while leading the country in strikeouts with 502. Under Bennett’s guidance, Emily Dix earned ACCAC Pitcher of the Year honors and First-Team All-America honors while Emily Darwin earned NJCAA Region Tournament MVP honors. Her and Head Coach Doug Eastman earned NFCA West Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors for their remarkable 2022 season. 
 
Bennett joined the Roughriders after spending one year at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) as a pitching coach. Prior to UTEP, Bennett spent two years in Southwest Florida at Florida Gulf Coast University. In her first season, Bennett's expertise helped lower FGCU's team ERA from 3.04 in 2015 to 2.81. Led by the Atlantic Sun's Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year, Riley Randolph, the Eagles posted the second-lowest ERA in the conference.
 
Bennett's second season at FGCU witnessed yet another strong performance in the circle, with Taylor Wade posting a career year and Riley Randolph remaining one of the strongest pitchers in the league. The Eagles' team ERA remained below 3.00 at 2.83, with Randolph recording a 2.06 ERA to end the season. 

Before joining FGCU coaching staff, Bennett spent one year at the Junior College level in Dodge City, Kansas. As an assistant coach at Dodge City Community College, Bennett oversaw pitching, outfield, strength and conditioning. While there, the Conquistadors compiled 149 strikeouts.

The Mexican National Team also noticed Bennett’s talent, where she has represented Mexico since 2013. Her first appearance for Mexico was at the 2013 Pan American Classic in Puerto Rico. Later that year, Bennett recorded the lowest ERA of any pitcher at the Cuba Invitational. The Arizona native has helped Mexico to a fifth place finish at the 2014 World Cup, a fourth place finish at the 2014 Canada Cup and fourth place finish at the Central American and Caribbean Games. Bennett played in the 2015, 2016, and 2017 World Cup, Canada Cup, and World Cup. 

Prior to her coaching career, Bennett led Miami Dade College to the NJCAA Division I National Title in 2010 while earning tournament MVP honors. She went 4-0 in the tournament and accumulated a 0.54 ERA, 32 K in 26.0 IP and tossed a one-hit shutout in the title game vs. Wallace State CC. In two years at MDC, Bennett compiled a 47-8 record, receiving All-America accolades, culminating with a season in which she earned six conference, regional, and national awards.
 
She then transferred to Marshall for her junior and senior seasons, where she posted six wins while appearing primarily as a relief pitcher. During her senior season, Bennett finished with a 2.26 ERA and a 4-1 record. She ended her career with a 3.21 ERA and 86 strikeouts, while holding batters to a .241 average.

Bennett graduated from Marshall in 2012 with bachelors in business administration. She later received her masters from Lake Erie College in Painesville, Ohio in 2014.
 
Originally from Hereford, Arizona, Bennett now resides in Prescott Valley.
 
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